Streetcar power station creates parking shortage

Doing business at the Downtown Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Hamilton County building and other Court Street businesses has always been a challenge because there’s just not enough parking.

But it just got harder with the loss of 12 metered parking spaces between Main and Walnut streets – about a fourth of the spaces there – to make way for a streetcar power station.

Nearby business owners and elected officials are pushing back, hoping the city will put some nearby metered parking elsewhere.

“It is a big, ugly eyesore,” said Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes, who has long been against the project but can see the power station outside his office window.

People file in and out of the county building all day – it is home to building permits, taxes and land registration.

“We try to accommodate folks, but it is becoming harder and harder to find parking spaces,” he said. “And the argument that the streetcar will make up for it because people will ride it to and from businesses is offensive to me. No sensible person would believe it.”

Part of the problem, in the block west of Court Street, the city has dedicated two metered spots to cars used by a ride-sharing company.

These spaces are so popular people circle the block waiting for somebody to back out.

Project Manager John Deatrick said he is listening to complaints and has a plan to put five metered spaces elsewhere on Court and Walnut streets. He’s looking at where six to seven others could go.

“We’re making every effort to minimize the impact,” Deatrick said.

Work on the substation – which takes electricity from underground wires and feeds it to the streetcar through overhead wires – is under way now; the design was finalized in 2012.

The 53-foot-long by 16-foot-tall metal substation is one of three: one on the south end of the route (the Riverfront Transit Center), another in the middle (Court Street) and the third at the north end of the route (Findlay Market).

The goal: Keeping costs to a minimum. But that meant putting it on property the city already owned. Planners also didn’t want to lose any space that could potentially be developed.

Consideration was given to putting it in the Central Parkway median over the old subway tunnels, but was dismissed as an option because of structural, space and safety concerns. The subway tubes were problematic because they contain water mains and it would not be safe to put an electrical substation nearby, Deatrick said.

Streetcar planners reached out to Court Street businesses, letting them know about the power station, but did not go around the corner to Main Street businesses.

Deatrick apologized for missing those businesses and said they will be included in all future updates.

Matt Woods, business manager for ACME Lock, which has been located on Main Street across from the courthouse since 1933, said he’s pro-streetcar, but the substation project “is a debacle.”

“They are the most prime parking spaces in all of Cincinnati,” he said.

He’s concerned about parking because his locksmiths come and go. For now, they’ll have to work out of the Covington store, meaning that city will get all the tax benefits.

“Our walk-in business is down by 35 percent,” Woods said. “We’re the only Downtown hardware store. I don’t want people thinking it’s easier to go to the suburbs.”

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, who has long been a parking watchdog – in the past introducing free 10-minute parking at meters – has been a liaison between the businesses and city.

“There has been a disruption to business during the construction period,” Portune said. “I think the communication has gotten better, but it certainly could have been better out of the gate.”

Portune said the bigger issue is the long-term loss of parking spaces.

For businesses to survive Downtown, these parking spaces are imperative, Portune said.

Deatrick knows it is inconvenient now, but says eventually the streetcar will bring a new vibrancy to Downtown because people will be able to get places without having to park their cars.

“Part of the reason for the streetcar is to reach business, to get critical density,” Deatrick said. “For now, it is kind of hard sell, telling somebody you’ll lose 12 spaces, but it will help create a vibrancy.” ■

About the transit power substations

What are they?

They provide the electrical power to run the streetcar vehicle. It converts power received from Duke Energy to DC power, which is needed to run the streetcar vehicle. The DC power is transmitted through an overhead wire to the streetcar.

Why are they needed?

The substations are placed where they are to ensure the system runs properly. If the units are spaced too far apart the system will no receive enough power to operate. Generally, the route needs a substation at the north end of the route, one at the south end and one in the middle in order to prevent the loss of overhead electric power over long distances.

Great, but why are we putting them in the middle of Court Street and in the Findlay Market parking lot?

Once the system designers determined the spacing of the substation units, the city sought to locate them on sites that were owned by the city an/or located in city-owned right-of-ways. This was done to minimize costs and maintain easy access for maintenance purposes.

What will the Court Street substation look like?

The city is working with the Department of Transportation and Engineering Architecture and Urban Design staff to develop a unique enclosure that will provide the necessary level of safety and security while also providing an attractive/aesthetic look for the area.